The More Things Change
by SaltyJak
Summary: Some time has passed since Timmy rescued Tootie from Francis, and even with her mildly obsessive crush on the brunet still very much a factor, the two have become closer than ever; straddling the line between friendship and what COULD be a budding romance...
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Much as I enjoy writing smut(and I really enjoy it *3*), I find it's good to temper the naughtier content with something a bit closer to the fluff side of the spectrum now and then, so here's a fic that takes place some time after 'The Twerpiest Knight'.

* * *

Timmy Turner sat at one of the many tables in the food court of the Dimmsdale Mega Mall, his food tray empty, save for a few remaining chicken nuggets from Nasty Burger, and his drink, which was now almost entirely melted ice.

To his immediate right was Tootie, her chair scooted over close enough that it was touching his. Unlike his tray, Tootie's was empty, with the exception of a few crumpled wrappers, though she'd ordered less than he had, and so would occasionally sneak a chicken nugget off his tray, much to the brunet's amusement.

Finally, across from him sat the girl he'd once considered to be the bane of his existence, the redhead who struck fear into the hearts of children everywhere, the evil, pink-eyed babysitter with a silver tongue and a black hole where her heart should've been… Or so he once thought. Sure, her name still inspired fear in most kids, including the brunet's two best friends; Chester and AJ, but to Timmy, Vicky was just his babysitter, and really not all that bad, so long as you were on her good side.

"So… Uh, why am I here again?" The brunet, now a little over a month past the age of twelve, questioned his babysitter, before taking a sip from his watery drink.

"Because Tootie wanted to go shopping, and I needed to pick up a few things." Vicky replied rather simply, the bowl sitting atop her tray that had once contained her salad now picked clean. Much like her younger sister, the redhead would occasionally reach across the table and pilfer one of her charge's remaining chicken nuggets, though she didn't even bother with trying to be sneaky.

"If-! If you two wanted nuggets, why didn't you just order some for _yourselves_?!" The boy gestured at his two companions' trays, giving each the opportunity to steal the last two nuggets on his.

"Well~… I _would_ say something along the lines of 'Me and Toots would feel guilty about ordering a lot of food, since we're girls'..." Vicky paused to pop the stolen nugget into her mouth, then chewed and swallowed it. "But really, I just think it's fun to watch you freak out over getting your nuggets stolen!"

"Mngh..." Timmy grumbled to himself as he turned to face Tootie, who merely shrugged and shot him a cute, innocent little smile in response, then popped the last of his nuggets into her mouth. "You still haven't told me why _I'm_ here!" He turned to face Vicky again, only to shoot her an exasperated look as she sipped from _his_ drink.

"Oh, that one's easy: because Tootie asked me to pick you up." The eighteen year old shook her charge's drink as she finished it, confirming that the cup was empty. "Why, is hanging out with me and Toots _really_ cutting into your schedule that much? You have some _big_ date planned, or something?"

"Well… _No_ , but… I was gonna feed Cosmo and Wanda, and… Maybe..." He trailed off, unable to think of a believable excuse. His _original_ plan had been to go on some as-of-yet undecided adventure with his fairy godparents, but telling Vicky and Tootie this _clearly_ wasn't an option.

"Oh, feeding your fish. _Wow_ , you must be _so_ disappointed that we showed up to whisk you away from such a task that _obviously_ would've filled out your whole day… How thoughtless we are!" The redhead replied in a tone absolutely dripping with sarcasm, prompting an eye-roll from Timmy, who was by now used to her brand of humor.

"Yeah, yeah… I get it, I didn't have much going on today… Are you expecting me to thank you for pretty much kidnapping me, since I _know_ you didn't say anything to my mom and dad?"

Vicky leaned back in her chair and clasped her hands behind her head in apparent contemplation. "Hm… A 'thank you' _would_ be a good start..."

"Jeez..." The brunet facepalmed, struggling to hide the amused grin playing at his lips.

"Hey, you bought yourself some games, didn't you?" Vicky nodded at a plastic bag containing a few flat, rectangular boxes that sat on the food court table, the bag itself bearing the name of the video game store located in the mall. "And you get to spend time with a couple of pretty girls; most guys would chalk that up as a win, Twerp."

"Y-Yeah, well..." Timmy trailed off, crossing his arms and looking away as he quickly realized he could think of nothing even _close_ to an adequate response. He wasn't about to tell either girl that they weren't pretty, as for one, he couldn't _honestly_ deny what Vicky had said, and two, he knew better than to risk the wrath of either Valentine sister. Instead, he simply blushed a light pink, which slowly darkened as he felt Tootie sidle up a bit closer in her seat, obviously appreciating the fact that he hadn't denied what Vicky said.

"Amazing comeback as always, Twerp." The eighteen year old gathered up the trays and set them aside in front of the empty seat at the table, then took out her wallet and began to sift through the wad of money that barely fit in it. "Now, much as I'm sure the two of you _love_ following me around all day and watching me shop, I'll spare you the boredom, this time." Vicky produced six fifty-dollar bills from her wallet and divided them up into two small stacks before sliding them across the table.

"Arigato~!" Tootie beamed happily, her left hand darting out and snatching up her share of money.

"Wha-?!" Timmy stared wide-eyed at the three fifty-dollar bills in front of him, then looked up at his babysitter in disbelief. "I-… You're just…? A-Are you sure you wanna g-give me that much?!" The boy looked back down at the money before him, his face a bit pale. Never before had so much money been within his grasp, and the thought of _Vicky_ giving him so much on a whim was oddly sobering, in a way.

"This is clearly a big moment for you, so I'll go ahead and let you take it in." Vicky returned her wallet to her pocket, then stood up out of her chair and slid it in against the table. "I'll text one of you when I'm done, make sure to keep your phones on."

"Er… O-Okay..." The brunet hesitantly reached out and took the money offered by his babysitter. "Um… Th-Thank you, Vicky…?"

"Ugh… Don't get all mushy on me, Twerp. I figure with three-hundred between the two of you, you both _should_ be able to entertain yourselves until I'm done shopping." Vicky crossed her arms assertively, though her expression remained neutral and aloof.

"Sounds like you're buying some privacy." Tootie interjected, craning her neck around Timmy to look up at her older sister with a knowing smirk.

"Tootie, I will put you in the trunk." The older of the two Valentine sisters glared at her bespectacled sibling and frowned, a silent demand for the girl to drop the subject.

"Mleh!" The raven-haired girl stuck out her tongue, while at the same time hiding behind her crush.

"Very mature, Toots." Vicky deadpanned, before turning her attention back to Timmy, who had himself turned in his chair to face her. "Just stay out of trouble… _Both_ of you." She again glared at her little sister, the girl's chin now resting on Timmy's shoulder. _"So_ this _is what it feels like to_ actually _babysit children..."_ The redhead mused to herself as she pulled an about-face and headed out of the food court.

"Heehee! She acts just like our mom sometimes…!" Tootie giggled, gently butting the side of her head against Timmy's.

The brunet remained silent, his gaze still trained on the hundred and fifty dollars in his hand. "Does she… Is she usually this… Generous? Is this… She's not sick or anything, right?" He turned in place once again, partially facing Tootie at the table.

"Vicky? _No_ , it's like I said, she's probably just buying some privacy from us… Although, a hundred and fifty _is_ a lot for just a trip to the mall… I'm used to seeing this much on my birthday, or Christmas, but just a random shopping trip? It's a little strange…" The bespectacled girl again took out her share of gifted money, just to be sure of the amount.

"I kinda wish I'd been able to get on Vicky's good side sooner..." The boy hesitated and held his breath for a moment after he spoke, but soon exhaled at the absence of the telltale 'poofing' of his godparents' wands. Evidently they hadn't heard his little slip of the tongue.

"Me too! I get to spend a lot more time with you now!" Tootie leaned over, wrapping both her arms around Timmy in an affectionate hug.

Oddly enough, the urge to squirm out of the girl's hugs had, over time, become less and less of a knee-jerk reaction. It now required a conscious effort on Timmy's behalf to try and escape Tootie's affections, and most of the time, he simply didn't even bother.

That wasn't to say he necessarily _reciprocated_ her feelings, he'd just grown used to them, now that he was spending significantly more time with her and her older sister, and in truth, he didn't _really_ mind the hugs; they were certainly far more than what he got from _his_ crush, Trixie Tang.

"...Okay, you're really starting to stretch the 'minute-long at the maximum' hug rule, Tootie..." Timmy at last spoke up, noticing they were starting to draw attention from kids right around their age, who almost _certainly_ went to the same school as them.

"Pfft, let 'em stare, they're just jealous." The raven-haired girl responded with an almost dreamy-sounding inflection to her tone, but still pulled away, not wanting to risk losing what her crush let her get away with. "So, what should we do on our date, first?"

"Tootie, it's not a date." The brunet spoke firmly. "We're just hanging out at the mall until Vicky's done… Selling hardcore drugs, or something."

"Ehehe! I _know_! Who said anything about a date?" Tootie laughed, shooting the boy a bewildered, innocent look.

" _You_ did, Tootie." Timmy quirked an eyebrow up at his friend, wondering just _what_ kind of game she was playing with him.

"And would it _kill_ you to give me this, Timmy? Just let a girl dream, if only for a little while?" Tootie looked at him seriously as she finished, her brow furrowed and hands on her hips.

"Well maybe not _kill_ , but..." The brunet took a moment to think it over, absently scratching at his nose with his index finger as he did. "S-So long as we're clear that I'm just p-playing along, and you… Don't take it as anything _more_ than me playing along… Then I guess… It's alright."

"Sweet! So then, what can I get away with?" The bubbly girl leaned in close, her face mere centimeters from Timmy's.

"Wh-What do you mean?" Timmy in turn leaned away from his friend, nearly half his rear-end hanging over the edge of his chair.

"Can I hold your hand? Surprise you with a hug now and then? Maybe… Rest my head on your shoulder when we sit together?" Tootie grew steadily more excited with each question, clearly unconcerned with how much attention she might draw to herself and Timmy.

"...Tootie, you already do all that stuff." The brunet responded flatly, his tone matching his expression.

"But _now_ I have your permission to do it, right?" The girl leaned even closer, most of her body now hanging off her chair and over her crush, who himself couldn't lean back any further without falling out of his chair.

"Ah-Yeah, fine. Just..." Timmy reached out to gently grip his friend's shoulders, then pushed her back into her seat. "Try and keep it in moderation, okay? We're not _actually_ dating, and I still like Trixie, y'know?"

Tootie's expression visibly soured at the mention of her competition for Timmy's heart, her own heart feeling like it sank a bit in her chest. "Ugh… _Really_ , Timmy? Can't you go _one_ day without thinking about Princess Perfect?"

"Can _you_ go one day without thinking about me?" The boy shot back instantly, lips curling up into a knowing grin.

"That's-! That's different!" The bespectacled girl's cheeks blushed a pale shade of pink as she pouted and glanced away evasively. "At least _I_ make an effort… I acknowledge that you _exist_ , for starters!"

"W-Well… That's true, but… Trixie just… She's got a lot of boys at school who're always trying to get her attention, and I'm… Not exactly popular, so..." The brunet trailed off, realizing that, out of all of his friends, Tootie was the only one who _really_ challenged him about his crush on Trixie. It made sense, of course, since Tootie had a more than obvious crush on him herself, but the girl, unlike Chester and AJ, made him doubt his feelings; made him really wonder just _what_ it was that he saw in the popular girl who barely ever gave him the time of day… Heck, Trixie couldn't even remember his _name_!

"Oh… Look Timmy, I… I'm sorry." Tootie turned to face her crush once more, reestablishing eye contact with him. "I of all people should know that… You can't really control who you like… Like that. I just… I hate playing second fiddle to her, especially since… I mean, I like to think that you and I… We're closer than you and Trixie are, aren't we?" She looked at him sadly, her palms flat in her lap.

"I… I guess-No, I mean-! Y-Yeah, of course we are. You're one of my best friends, and ever since Vicky and I started getting along, you and I have done… Pretty much everything together, there's no denying that!" Timmy smiled at the girl, having noticed some time ago that whenever he was in a good mood, so too, was Tootie. "A-And, er… Maybe you're right; maybe I should try getting Trixie off my mind for a while!" He hopped out of his chair and grabbed the bag containing his games, pushed said chair in, then, in a move that surprised both himself and Tootie, grabbed the raven-haired girl's hand, bidding for her to stand up from her own chair. "S-So c'mon! Today, you're playing first fiddle, Tootie!"

"Wha…? N-No, Timmy, that's not..." Tootie caught herself, a happy little smile playing at her lips as she realized Timmy was doing his best to cheer her up, even as the meaning behind her comment about playing second fiddle to Trixie was evidently lost on him. "Heehee! So where did you wanna take me?"

"I… Have no idea, actually." The boy rubbed the back of his head with his free hand, stopping midway through pulling his friend toward the exit of the food court. "Where-Uh… Where do you think we should go?"

"You're hopeless..." The girl shook her head and shrugged, then moved past Timmy and took the lead. "Let me think… Oh! I know!" Tootie snapped her fingers, and took off into a jog out of the food court, her crush in tow.

Just a few minutes later, Timmy found himself standing in the dressing area of one of the mall's many clothing stores; this particular one seemingly catering exclusively to the opposite sex. The air in the store carried an almost unpleasantly sweet aroma, and everywhere he looked, his eyes were assaulted by a myriad assortment of vivid colors; many of them varying shades of pink that put his baseball cap and t-shirt to shame.

Worse yet, he had a sneaking suspicion that Tootie was the type to try on everything before she bought it, and as her not-boyfriend, he knew she was going to ask him for his opinion on whatever she put on.

"How 'bout this one?" Tootie popped out from behind the dressing curtain just as Timmy plopped himself down on a small, cushioned bench that sat to the side of it.

He looked his friend up and down, her white button-up and black vest swapped out for an orange, ruffled-looking tank-top that had several red hibiscus flowers as its motif. Meanwhile, her gray plaid skirt had been replaced with a pair of white shorts that didn't _quite_ reach the midpoint of her thighs. "Hm… It's alright, but… Oh! Wait here!"

"Wha…? O-Okay…?" The raven-haired girl watched as her crush rose to his feet and stepped out of the changing area's doorway, his footsteps quietly padding against the store's carpeted floor. "I wonder if I should get some new sandals too… Vicky did say she wanted to go to the beach at some point-Huh?" She flinched as a light weight came down on her head, the overhead light in the changing area becoming blotted out by… _Something_.

"There!" Timmy exclaimed in a satisfied-sounding tone, taking a few steps back to admire his work.

"What's…?" Tootie glanced up, noticing the brim of what appeared to be a hat. Taking it off her head and holding it out in front of her, she realized it was just that: a beach hat, made of a soft, straw-like material, with a green band above the brim, affixed to which was a fake(but still pretty) red hibiscus flower, the same kind that were on her shirt. "A hat?" She placed the straw beach hat back on her head, then turned to face the nearby full-length mirror, turning in place a bit to get a good look at herself.

"You look nice." Timmy peeked his head into view at the side of the mirror, again giving his friend a quick once-over. It was kind of refreshing to see Tootie in something a bit more colorful for a change, since he was so accustomed to seeing her wear her usual school clothes, not that he was one to talk, considering how little variation his own wardrobe had.

"Ehehe… You… You think so?" The violet-eyed girl felt her cheeks heat up, and self-consciously pulled the brim of her new hat down in a lame attempt to hide her blush. "All this color… I'd stick out like a sore thumb at school, don't you think?" She turned to look at Timmy, still lightly tugging on either side of her hat's brim. While it was true that she was over the moon at the fact that he liked her outfit, she couldn't help but feel like a bright neon sign.

"Well… Maybe a little, but I mean… There's nothing wrong with turning a few heads, right?" The brunet remarked uncertainly, realizing he had _no_ idea what he was even talking about. There was no denying the fact that his friend was much, _much_ cuter in her new outfit, so much so that he struggled to believe something as simple as a change of clothes could have such a dramatic effect on how he saw the girl.

At the same time; however, he worried about what this new viewpoint might mean. For the first time ever, he recognized that Tootie was in fact, cute, but there was absolutely _no_ way he could tell her that. The girl was pretty enamored with him as it was, who knew how she'd react to the news that he found her cute?

"No, but… I… It's not like I'm going to school to get complimented on how I look, or to get attention from the way I dress, I… The only person I care about noticing me, is you." The raven-haired girl interlaced her fingers together behind her back, her lips forming a small, nervous smile. "Heehee… Come to think of it, I think this is the first time you've told me I look nice, actually..."

"O-Oh? Er… M-Maybe..." Timmy stammered out, the dressing area; thankfully occupied by only himself and Tootie, suddenly feeling like it had become ten degrees hotter. "But… Um… Was there anything… Else you wanted to try on?"

"You… You really want to see me try on other stuff? We could go somewhere else, if you're bored…?" Tootie briefly glanced back over at the dressing curtain, already having made up her mind on at least one thing: she was _definitely_ buying her current outfit.

"Ah… N-No, I don't mind. Who knows how long Vicky's gonna take, and I already got my shopping done anyway." Timmy sat back down on the cushioned bench behind him, giving his small stack of video games a few light pats.

"Oh, um… Great!" The bespectacled girl's smile grew wider as she barely managed to contain her enthusiasm. "I'll be back out in a sec!" With that, Tootie darted back behind the curtain, the sound of shuffling cloth emanating from behind it before long.

"So, ah… Where do you think Vicky went, anyway?" Timmy wondered aloud in an off-handed tone, his gaze briefly turning up toward the ceiling, at the same time thinking about what to buy with his newly acquired wealth.

"No idea." Tootie responded, her voice somewhat muffled as she pulled a new shirt on over her head. "Must be somewhere she wants to keep private, considering how much money she gave us."

The brunet heard a distinct zipping noise from behind the curtain as the girl finished, though she didn't appear quite yet. "Yeah, I guess so… But where would she _go_ that she'd want to keep private?"

"Maybe it's like you said: she's selling hardcore drugs on the side." Tootie quipped in amusement, smoothing out some wrinkles on her new shirt. "Anyway, how's this look?" She stepped out from behind the curtain, striking a confident pose and settling her hands on her hips.

"...Like you just stepped out of an anime where the main character takes herself _way_ too seriously." The boy replied in a flat, almost snarky tone.

"N-Not the pose, dummy! The _outfit_!" The raven-haired girl pouted, her cheeks stained an obvious and bright shade of pink as she glared at her crush.

" _Oh_! My mistake! Hehehe!" Timmy giggled, putting his hands out in front of himself in mock-surrender. Once his amusement had subsided, he again looked the girl up and down. The hat he'd picked out for her absent, she now wore a plain, black tank-top; the waist and shoulders of which consisted of thin strips of fabric that were a pure, simple white. In addition, she also wore a pair of long black socks that reached well over her knees and up her thighs, though not quite to the shorts she wore that completed her look... Though said shorts were also the strangest part of the outfit, as they were fairly plain, black jean shorts… With heavy, frayed rips along the front of the thighs, giving tiny views here and there of their wearer's bare skin.

In all honesty, they looked like they'd once been a pair of black jeans that had been completely shredded, and cut so short that the edges of the pockets were peeking out!

"Er… Tootie? Did you…? Did you do that to them? Or are they sold like that?" The brunet looked up at his friend with a bemused frown.

"Hm? Oh, the shorts? No, they're sold like this! Neat, huh?" Tootie beamed at him excitedly, evidently seeing nothing wrong with buying what were essentially damaged goods.

"N-Neat? I-Uh… I dunno about that..." Timmy rubbed the back of his head, trying his best to keep from insulting his friend's sense of 'style'.

"What's wrong? You don't like the outfit? I mean, it _is_ all black, and I probably can't pull off the 'goth' look..." The girl turned and faced the mirror again, shooting her reflection a thoughtful pout.

"N-No, no! The outfit… It's fine, just..." With Tootie's back now partially to him, he chanced another look at the shorts she wore and sighed in relief when he saw that the back of the shorts lacked the rips found on the front. That said, he couldn't help but feel that the shorts _did_ seem to fit her butt nicely... _Really_ nicely, actually.

"Mm… Maybe you're right."

"Eh…?" Timmy briefly shook his head and looked up at Tootie as he heard her speak. "Ah… About what?"

"The shorts." She answered, then spun around and reached back behind the curtain, only to pull back with a nearly identical pair of black jean shorts in hand, though these ones lacked the characteristic rips of the ones she currently wore. "In fact...These _not_ -ripped ones are cheaper, anyway!" Tootie smiled at her crush, totally oblivious to the slight pink tinge adorning his cheeks.

"Er… Really? Th-Then I'd… Just get those." Timmy nodded at the shorts in Tootie's hands as he finished, then turned back around and made his way over to the bench to sit down again. "Ah… Anything else…?" He leaned forward, cupping his chin in his hand, elbow resting on his knee.

"Uhm..." The raven-haired girl peeked back behind the curtain, bending over in such a way that still left the lower half of her body in a sort of profile view. "Just… Two more outfits! You don't mind, right?"

" _How in the heck did she manage to grab so many things in so little time?"_ The brunet mused to himself, before figuring he simply must not have been paying much attention when Tootie was dragging him through the store. "No, go ahead. We've only been here for a little while."

"Alright, gimme a sec!" Tootie disappeared the rest of the way behind the curtain, then quickly stuck her head back out and grinned. "Don't go anywhere, now!"

" _Where_ would I go, anyway?" Timmy threw his hands up in a dramatic shrug as his friend's head again disappeared from view. "If I leave, and Vicky texts me, she's gonna wonder where I left you. If she texts you, I've got no ride home!"

"Heehee! When you put it like that… I guess you're stuck with me, huh?" The girl giggled, thoroughly enjoying her 'not-date' with her crush.

"Pretty much." He remarked off-handedly, while peeking out of the doorway of the dressing area at the rest of the store. "Still, I guess I don't mind. Hanging out with you is nice."

"Hm?" Tootie paused midway through getting dressed in another outfit, and peeked around the corner of the opening of the dressing booth she was in, shooting her fellow twelve year old a quizzical stare. " _Really_? It's _nice_? You think hanging out with me is… _Nice_?" She spoke in a skeptical, yet hopeful tone, wondering if perhaps Timmy had forgotten just _who_ he was talking to, and had simply misspoke. "This isn't… Boring? Or… Torturous, in some way? You remember it's me, right?"

"W-Well I mean… Yeah, of course I know it's you." Timmy responded, shooting the girl nearly the exact same quizzical look. "But, it's not like I _hate_ being around you, even if you can be… Y'know… Kind of… Affectionate?"

"I was gonna say 'clingy', but… Affectionate, that's a lot nicer than what I expected..." She briefly cast her gaze down at the carpeted floor, frowning thoughtfully. "So… This is nice…?"

"...Didn't I just say that?" The brunet quirked an eyebrow up at his friend. "I'm serious, Tootie. I'm actually having fun, watching you try on different stuff." He felt yet another blush bloom across his cheeks, though he had no idea why. "And… I guess an occasional hug between friends… Isn't _that_ big a deal, right?" A nervous smile crept across his face as he finished, almost as if he expected Tootie to immediately tackle him upon hearing him say this.

And indeed, the bespectacled girl's heart fluttered in her chest as she realized her crush had essentially just granted her _permission_ to hug him. For the briefest of moments, Tootie considered leaping out of the dressing booth and tackling him into a hug, but almost instantly thought better of it, as since she'd been in the process of trying on a new outfit, she currently wasn't wearing much on her lower body besides her underwear. "Oh… You're lucky I'm getting dressed right now, I _definitely_ owe you one later..."

"Ehehe… But now I'll know it's coming, so..." Timmy trailed off, chuckling nervously as he looked away and Tootie disappeared back behind the curtain, before lightly tugging on the collar of his own shirt. _"Did it get warmer in here?"_

"Alright, outfit number three, are you ready?" Tootie called from behind the curtain, again making sure her outfit was wrinkle-free.

"As I'll ever be?" The boy asked, a slight hint of amusement in his tone.

"Okay-" She stepped out of the dressing booth and turned to face her crush, lifting her arms up from her sides a bit as she did. "-Whatcha think?"

The brunet silently stared at his friend for a few seconds, his mouth screwing up into an odd sort of zigzag as his face turned a light shade of scarlet. "Where-? D-Did you forget to p-put on pants?!" He tried to keep his voice low, but the sheer surprise at seeing his friend in what appeared to be little more than a long, snow-white turtleneck and the knee-socks she'd been wearing that day, caused him to blurt out the question, though by some miracle, it seemed nobody had heard him.

"What? _No_ , see?" Tootie lifted the almost dress-like sweater up, exposing her upper thighs and the black jean shorts that _weren't_ torn along the front, in addition to her lower abdomen and navel. "Seriously, who forgets to put on _pants_ , Timmy?"

"W-Well… I mean, there _was_ that time at your house a few years ago..." Timmy glanced away, lightly scratching at his nose with his index finger.

"I was wearing pajama shorts back then and you know it." The raven-haired girl settled her hands; which barely peeked out from her sweater's long arms, on her hips, her lips curling up into a knowing grin as she remembered the day Timmy was referring to. "Anyway, is this one a hit or a miss?" She lightly tugged at the edge of the long sweater, her bare legs feeling a bit chilly.

Timmy faced her again, giving her outfit a more studious look, now that he knew she was more clothed than she appeared. "Eh… I dunno about this one, actually. Maybe, like… You could probably wear it around the house on a cold day, but… The sweater seems kinda big… On you."

"You saying I'm small?" Tootie narrowed her eyes at the blue-eyed boy, despite knowing her glares were _far_ less effective than her older sister's.

"I'm saying the two of us could probably fit in that sweater and have room left over." He shot back with a cheeky grin that soon faded as the girl shot him a devious smirk of her own.

"Care to test that hypothesis?" Taking a few cues from her older sister, the bespectacled girl crossed her arms and raised her right hip a little, likely the most well-known of mildly flirtatious poses.

"Ah-Heheh… So-Ahem..." A few quiet chuckles escaped the brunet as he looked away and nervously coughed into his hand. "P-Planning on getting that one too?"

"Mm… Yeah, I think I will. Even if it is a little big, I'll probably grow into it." Once again, the girl disappeared back behind the curtain, her whole body subtly shaking with glee. "Or, like you said, I might just wear it as pajamas around the house!"

"Er… Y-Yeah, pajamas..." Timmy nervously parroted his friend's words, wondering if, at their next sleepover, he might wake up the next morning bound in a sweater-like cocoon with Tootie, thanks; in no small part, to his own big mouth.

"Whew! Alright, last one! This… Might take me a minute or two, just a heads-up." Tootie announced from behind the curtain, her voice becoming muffled for a moment as she yanked the sweater up over her head.

"N-No worries, take your time… Wouldn't want you to _actually_ -Ehe, forget to put on pants because you were in a rush, or something..." The boy leaned back on the bench as he finished, clasping his hands together behind his head as he reclined against the wall. "Hey, you wanna head to that comics store down at the other end of the mall when you're done here?" Timmy asked, finding it was easier to talk to Tootie about comics and video games; two of their shared hobbies, rather than the fact that they were on a 'not-date'. Watching her try on different outfits didn't bother him _that_ much, but he was beginning to get a sneaking suspicion that she was going out of her way to fluster him, for whatever reason.

"Ooh! That's right! The newest issue of the crossover between Crimson Chin and Crash Nebula! Yeah, we've gotta head right over there afterward!" Tootie exclaimed in a fangirlish pitch as she pulled on another pair of thigh-high stockings, completing the fourth and final of the outfits she wanted to get her crush's opinion on. "First though… I'm coming out-Heehee! You ready?"

The brunet frowned, both at the girl's question, and at the excited-sounding giggle that escaped her. "Eh… Yes? Why wouldn't I be ready…? And what's so-" He cut himself off as Tootie stepped out from behind the curtain, his draw dropping a little as his mind registered what she was wearing.

Before him stood Tootie, wearing a black, short-sleeve, flared dress, the sleeves and bottom of the dress bearing a white, ruffled bordering. On her front, secured around the back of her neck and by a black cloth belt around her waist was a white apron, ruffled along the edges in much the same way her dress was. The thigh-high stockings she wore matched the dress; being predominantly black, save for the ruffled white border around the band. Her shoes were black and shiny, as well as simple, each secured comfortably with an over-sized, silver buckle, and finally, she wore a black hairband with a frilly white border along the edge, just in front of where her pigtails were tied.

Slowly, Timmy regained the presence of mind to push his jaw back up off the floor, then took the time to _really_ look his friend over, finding her current outfit to be cute… And yet unmistakably familiar. "Uh-" He tried to speak, only to fall silent as the words were lost upon reaching the tip of his tongue.

"Heehee! Speechless, huh?" The raven-haired girl giggled as she stretched her arms down against her, clasping her hands together a little ways below her navel. "What? You think you're the only one who can rock a maid outfit?"

"Y-You… How did you find…? How do you _know_ about-?" The twelve year old stammered and stumbled over his own words, his face turning progressively darker shades of red by with each passing second. "I-Is that the one V-Vicky used to-"

"Pfft-Hehehe! _No_!" Tootie snickered quietly, before erupting into yet another fit of giggles. "Do you see any high-heels or fishnet stockings-"

"Th-They're not fishnet-!"

"Sure they aren't." The girl remarked in a flat, disbelieving tone, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Wh-How… How did you even find… Something like that?!" Timmy whispered out harshly, hoping to avoid drawing attention to the dressing area they were in. It was an odd feeling, seeing the girl dressed like this. On the one hand, he _somehow_ thought someone seeing Tootie dressed in a maid outfit would cause them to find out about how Vicky used to make _him_ wear a maid outfit to do chores around his(and her!) house, and on the other hand… He didn't like the idea of someone besides himself seeing Tootie dressed like this. Something about her outfit made him feel like it was for his eyes only, and that in itself left him conflicted, since, as much as he wanted to look away, there was some bizarre inclination that made him want to commit the sight of her, at that very moment, to memory.

"It was on clearance, leftovers from Halloween." Tootie replied simply and shrugged. "You like…?" She smirked and raised an eyebrow at her crush. "Or am I not selling the outfit enough? Maybe… You'd prefer..." A full-blown smile crept across her face as she bent over a little and bowed, her gaze never leaving Timmy's. "I called you Master, too?"

"...I don't think I've ever been more uncomfortable in my whole life." The brunet felt an odd wave of heat wash over him, making his clothes feel almost oppressively hot. Worse yet, an odd, fluttery sensation had begun to make itself known in his stomach, and he honestly wasn't sure if he was going to be sick from it or not. "Ugh… I feel like I swallowed a whole flock of butterflies..."

"You mean a kaleidoscope." The bespectacled girl corrected him as she straightened herself up and continued to smile.

"A what now?" Timmy rubbed at his stomach, briefly turning the fluttery feeling into a mild, pleasant warmth.

"A flock of butterflies is called a kaleidoscope." The girl again chimed in helpfully, before at last turning to look at herself in the mirror. "And if seeing me in this makes you feel like that… I'm gonna assume you like the maid look?"

" _Like_ is…" He rolled his eyes, instead focusing his attention on the myriad clothing racks in the rest of the store. "A word." Even now, he wouldn't _dare_ admit how her outfit made him feel… Really, he wasn't even sure if he _could_ describe how it made him feel. The way he felt… It was just too _weird_ to wrap his head around.

"Teehee! Thanks!" Tootie, now suddenly standing in front of her crush, leaned in and bent down to his level, causing her fellow twelve year old to briefly recoil as she drew in, until his head hit the wall behind him, allowing her to plant a quick peck on his cheek.

"H-Hey… I know I said-" Before he could finish, Tootie pulled away and spun around, a happy little skip in her step as she headed back behind the curtain. "Mngh..." Timmy grumbled to himself, then brought his hand up to his cheek, gingerly touching the spot where he'd been kissed.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Phew, another fic done. Timmy/Vicki is always gonna be my number one ship for FOP, but Timmy/Tootie is always gonna be a close second. Tootie's different enough from Vicki that it challenges me to write a character who behaves a bit differently around Timmy(though similarities definitely emerge when Vicki has a thing for him), and that's not even getting into the differences between Vicky and Vicki, who, while obviously being the same character, have different attitudes towards their Twerp. Anyway, enough of my rambling.

* * *

"Hm-Hm-Hmm!" Tootie hummed a pleasant little tune as she walked in step with her crush, a scant few inches of space between herself and Timmy as they made their way through the mall, and towards the comic book store.

"So..." The twelve year old male began, lightly scratching the spot on his cheek where Tootie had kissed him with his left hand, while holding one of her bags from the clothing store in his right, the bag containing his own purchases safely tucked away inside.

"Heehee! That little peck bother you that much?" Tootie giggled, shooting the brunet a sidelong glance, her other bag held in her left hand.

"Wha-? Er… N-No!" Timmy's hand immediately dropped back down to his side as he looked to his right, pretending to look over the offerings of the many stores they were currently passing. "Not… Really, anyway."

"So you _liked_ it?" The girl grinned as she sidestepped a bit closer to her crush, giving his left arm a light nudge with her right.

"I… Didn't expect it, that's all." The brunet replied evasively, peeking out of the corner of his left eye at his friend.

"I'm not hearing a _no_ ~..." Tootie drawled out teasingly, her grin widening a bit as Timmy's cheeks subtly pinkened.

"Tootie..." He muttered out quietly, his tone serious, and maybe just a _little_ pleading.

"Oh, lighten up!" The girl stepped even closer, snatching up her crush's hand and interlacing her fingers with his. "We already clarified we're not _really_ on a date, just _acting_ like it! Stop treating things so seriously!" She exclaimed in a friendly tone, earning the not-couple more than a few quizzical stares from their fellow mall-goers.

Timmy tensed up a little upon feeling the girl grab his hand. Unlike her, he didn't take to their pretending to be a couple as well as she did, evidently. Holding Tootie's hand in public felt awkward, and again, it made him feel uncomfortably warm to be so close to the girl, more so because of how much he'd enjoyed watching her try on different outfits. "I-I know… It just… Takes some getting used to..." He gave her a weak reply, trying to push out the thought that several people around them were giving him and Tootie odd stares.

"Just do what I do when I'm feeling nervous about something." Tootie offered helpfully, focusing her attention ahead of them as they continued to walk.

"Kidnap myself and tie me to your bed?" Timmy responded without missing a beat, a knowing smirk working its way across his face.

"N-No! That _isn't_ -! Would you let it go?! That was one time and I-! ...What I _mean_ is stop, take a few deep breaths, and relax." The raven-haired girl glared at the boy, though as usual, it ended up being more cute than intimidating.

"Guess it… Couldn't hurt..." The brunet admitted, slowing his stride a bit as he sucked in a big breath of air.

"No, no. You need to inhale through your nose, then exhale out your mouth, like this." Tootie demonstrated, inhaling deeply though her nose, then blowing the air out through her mouth, looking as though she was trying(and failing) to whistle.

" _Sorry_ , didn't know you were the expert on sucking and blowing..." Timmy rolled his eyes, prompting a somewhat more forceful nudge from the girl next to him.

"J-Just do what I said!" An obvious blush bloomed across Tootie's cheeks at her crush's insinuation, though she soon found herself wondering if he even realized the less-than-innocent implications of what he'd just said. The fact that he hadn't giggled after saying it left her to assume he did not.

"Fine, jeez..." The buck-toothed boy mimicked his friend's actions, inhaling a long, slow breath through his nose, and then exhaling it out his mouth. "Like that?"

"Y-Yeah. Now just do that a few more times, it's good for regulating your heart rate and… Other stuff." She decided against explaining what the technique did in detail, knowing she'd more than likely only end up boring Timmy. "Looks like we're almost at t-the comics store now-Eep!" In quite out of the blue fashion, Tootie roughly shoved Timmy to their right and darted after him, the both of them colliding with the side of a nearby vending machine.

"Ah-Hey! What was that-?!" The brunet began, only for his bespectacled friend to shush him as she peeked around the corner of the machine and bent down a little. This in turn prompted Timmy to lean over her and peek around the corner of the machine as well, allowing him to spot what, or rather, _who_ , they were hiding from.

Just a few dozen feet away, in a dimly-lit store that catered to goth and punk clientele, was Francis, standing at the counter and seemingly finalizing a purchase.

"Ugh, are you kidding me?!" Tootie whispered harshly, shooting Dimmsdale's most well-known bully a scornful glare. "Does he have some kind of sixth sense for finding us or something? How is he _always_ everywhere we are?"

"You mean like the school you, him, and I go to, and the only mall in town that just so happens to be where most people our age hang out? No idea, Toots." Timmy deadpanned, feeling like Francis' presence was just one more thing the universe felt like heaping onto his plate today. "Maybe if we cross to the other side, we can sneak by him." He gave the girl a light tap on the shoulder and pointed out a nearby bridge that connected both sides of the mall's main, second-floor thoroughfare, but nearly caught the back of his friend's head with his face as Tootie stood up straight and pushed him back, pressing both herself and Timmy as flat as she could against the side of the vending machine.

"Shh! He's coming!" Another harsh whisper escaped the girl as she continued to press the palm of her hand against her crush's chest, and both stayed silent as the all-too-familiar form of Francis passed them by, the pale-skinned, almost gray teenager clad in his usual attire, with the bag containing his purchases tightly gripped in his left hand.

The two of them watched as his large form grew smaller and more distant, before he eventually disappeared among their many fellow mall-goers, prompting Tootie to breathe a sigh of relief and relax, her hand slipping off Timmy's chest. "I can't believe that actually worked." The brunet remarked, a bit impressed and just as relieved as Tootie, even if he wasn't showing it.

"Me neither, to be honest. Vision must be based on movement, like a toad or something." The girl stood up on the tips of her toes for a moment and squinted, just to make sure they were in the clear. "Phew… _Figures_ the only time we ever run into him is when Vicky's not around..."

"Well… Maybe he's learned his lesson? I mean, he didn't see us, so we can't know for sure, but maybe he wouldn't have tried to mess with us if he had? Vicky _did_ kick him pretty hard when he chased us to your house..."

"...You don't _actually_ believe that, do you?" Tootie quirked an eyebrow up at Timmy as she leaned back against the vending machine. "The only reason he leaves us alone at school is because he'll get expelled if he gets in trouble again. Pretty sure we're still fair game out in public."

"So what? We've just been lucky all this time?" The brunet pushed himself off the vending machine, ready to resume his and Tootie's trip to the comic book store, which in turn prompted her to do the same.

"Basically." The raven-haired girl replied, falling back into step with her crush. "For starters, we usually get rides everywhere; either to each other's houses, or here. With that in mind, it's safe to assume Francis isn't gonna go to the mall _every_ day, and obviously none of us are about to invite him into our respective houses. Other than here, school, or again, where each of us lives, where else do we go?"

"Huh… Guess you've got a point..." The boy rubbed his chin in thought, realizing his luck couldn't be _that_ bad, if this was the first time since rescuing Tootie from Francis nearly two years ago that he'd run into the bully again. "But, hold on, there's no way we couldn't have run into him in all this time. I get that Dimmsdale's a good-sized city, but it's not _that_ big…?"

"Of course not, but that-… You really don't pay attention sometimes, do you?" Tootie sighed in exasperation, lightly shaking her head back and forth. "We-… Or _I_ , at least, have seen him plenty of times, and I'm sure he's seen us too, but like you said, I'll bet he still remembers what my sister did-and _said_ -to him when he chased us to my house, and every time we've come here with Vicky, we've stuck with her."

"I'unno, guess I never noticed." Timmy shrugged, figuring he just wasn't as attentive as Tootie was when it came to Francis… Which was probably how the older teen constantly got the drop on him, despite his size.

"Bet you'd notice him if he was wearing a maid outfit~..." Tootie remarked slyly, stopping the brunet in his tracks just as they reached the comics store, a wide grin spreading across her face as she gleefully strode by him, an obvious skip in her step.

"Not funny." Timmy responded in a deadly-serious tone, moving to follow his friend after a moment.

"Kinda funny." The bespectacled girl insisted, her satisfied grin soon fading into a mildly impatient pout as she saw the line of her fellow comic fans at the counter, something that honestly _shouldn't_ have surprised her. "Crud."

"Y'know, it _is_ just me, you can say cra-" The buck-toothed boy abruptly fell silent as he followed his best friend's gaze to the counter. "Agh… Well, at least the line isn't _that_ long; should mean that we don't have to worry about them selling out before we each get a copy… Wanna browse in the meantime?"

"I guess." Tootie rolled her eyes as she turned away from the counter and headed down one of the nearby aisles, her crush following a few steps behind her as both scanned the shelves for something interesting to thumb through while they waited for the line to shorten. "This is your fault, y'know." She murmured the playful accusation as she spun around on her heel to face Timmy, her hands on her hips. "Getting me addicted to comics, even though I'll probably move on to the next big fad or whatever in a year or two."

"That's funny, considering you're not bored of me after four years, Toots." The brunet looked up from the comic book he'd snatched up while walking, just in time to catch Tootie blushing, her mouth slightly agape at his quick response.

"Ah-Ahem..." She quickly caught herself and fake-coughed into her hand, her eyes blinking closed for a brief moment as she smirked to herself. "Th-That's because you're the exception to the rule, Timmy."

"Tee-Hee!" A giggle from a little ways down the aisle caused the two of them to turn their attention to its source, at which point both laid eyes on a teen that was taller; and looked just a bit older, than them. Clad in white sneakers with a small red logo on the side of the heel, brick-red-colored jeans, a somewhat dark-purple long sleeve shirt over a white turtleneck sweater, and wearing a bright red baseball cap with a stylized white 'D' on the front, Timmy couldn't shake the feeling that he'd met this person before, and in a similar store to boot.

Tootie, on the other hand, immediately quirked an eyebrow up in intrigue at this person, nailing down a few subtle details about them. For one, while the clothes were unquestionably male, they didn't seem to fit the person they covered; the pants were baggy, the shoes a bit loose, and whoever he was, he appeared to be wearing an extra layer or two of clothing over his torso, from what she could tell. An odd choice, considering that Dimmsdale was in southern California, not to mention, it was currently late Spring. In addition, he clearly had _far_ more hair than his over-sized cap let on, with most of it tucked into said cap. "Hm… Hey, aren't you hot-" The bespectacled girl began, only to be cut off.

"Whoa! Did you already get the latest issue of the crossover?!" Timmy bee-lined right past his friend, causing her dress and twintails to flutter in the light breeze he left in his wake.

The slightly taller teen jumped in surprise at how quickly the brunet moved, before turning his head to face Timmy. "Er...Y-Yeah, I-Uh… Just got out of line, actually..." Focusing a bit more on the buck-toothed boy who'd just ran up to him, the warmly-dressed teen froze up, his eyes widening in shock. "Y-You-! What are…?! It-It's Tommy, right?" Speaking in a somewhat high-pitched, almost strained tone of voice, he offered Timmy a frown that could best be described as disgruntled, a few beads of sweat beginning to form on his brow.

"Huh? 'Tommy'? No, my name's Timmy… We've… Met before?" Timmy tilted his head a little. First he'd gotten the feeling that he'd met this person before, and now they'd outright confirmed it themselves. _"Mngh… It's like I've got a mental block or something..."_ He mused to himself, taking a moment to study the person's facial features more closely, hoping it might jog his memory.

"O-Oh! Er… N-No, of course not! I… I thought you were someone e-else, that's all!" The now-mortified teen began to creep backwards, 'his' cheeks stained a dark, reddish-pink. "I-Uh… I should get going, m-my… Girlfriend! Yeah, my girlfriend's waiting for-" The teen spoke in a much deeper voice now, one that sounded strangely unnatural, compared to the one used just a few seconds earlier.

"Wait a sec!" Tootie exclaimed as she sidled up next to her crush, then took a few more steps closer to the retreating teen. "I _thought_ I recognized you!"

"Y-You don't!" Panic setting in, their voice again rose to the higher, more natural-sounding tone as they spun around to leave the aisle, only to nearly crash into Tootie, who'd darted past them with almost preternatural speed.

"Mm-hm! Gotta say, I dunno why I didn't realize it sooner." The raven-haired girl remarked confidently, bringing her right hand up, index finger extended. "I probably wouldn't have even realized it was you, if it weren't for all these _layers_ you're wearing..." She lightly jabbed her finger into the teen's chest, making them reflexively jump back and cover their chest with their hands.

"H-Hey!" "Trixie!" The two exclaimed at roughly the same time, though while Tootie continued to grin with subdued triumph, her target simply blushed, her mouth hanging open a little as she'd realized she'd been found out.

"W-Wait? For real?" Timmy chimed in, slipping around the teen to get yet another look at 'his' face. "Oh…! So _that's_ why I thought you looked familiar! Yeah, we-!" At the last second, the brunet fell silent, his next sentence still on the tip of his tongue, before he quickly thought better of it and turned away slightly, opting to cough into his hand instead.

"You…?" Tootie turned her head a little to face Timmy, shooting her crush an expectant look as she raised an eyebrow in curiosity.

"...Go to school together…?" The boy offered weakly, his voice cracking as he finished.

In reality, it was this very comic store that Timmy had met Trixie in some two years back, and she'd been dressed much the same then, too. Of course, he hadn't met her as _Timmy_ , but 'Timantha', though he'd taken great pains to push the details of _that_ day to the back of his mind, and for now, that's exactly where they were staying.

"An… Obvious thing to point out, but… Sure." Tootie shook her head, long since having learned to pick up on the various tells Timmy had. She knew he was lying about _something_ , but at the moment, Trixie apparently sneaking around dressed like a boy was _far_ more interesting to her, and she guessed Timmy too, given her crush's… _History_ with the girl. "Anyway, care to elaborate on… This?" The girl gestured at Trixie's disguise with a quick waving motion of her hand, though all this earned her was a defiant grimace from the popular girl.

"Not really, no." Trixie shot back angrily, her arms still folded across her chest, crumpling the comic book she'd been reading. "Y-You've got a lot of nerve to p-poke _me_ in the chest and s-start… Demanding answers about what I do in my free time! ...Boob-poker!"

" _Sorry_ ~" Tootie drawled out sarcastically, putting both hands up in mock-surrender. "I just never imagined meeting the most popular girl in our school in a comic book store, and dressed as a boy, no less!"

" _I would do literally_ anything _to get out of this right now..."_ Timmy thought to himself, cringing at the uncomfortable situation he found himself in. If he took Trixie's side, he was positive it would damage his relationship with Tootie, and by extension, her older sister, meaning he could probably kiss the much nicer Vicky he'd been dealing with, goodbye. Things would almost certainly go right back to the way they were before, not to mention how long Tootie might take to forgive him.

On the other hand, he _did_ still have a crush on the popular girl, and taking Tootie's side, _especially_ while she was on the offensive, likely meant earning Trixie's ire, and thus, he'd in turn kiss what little attention she _did_ give him, goodbye. Not as much of a loss compared to the other option, but there was _no_ way she'd consider going out with him if he didn't take her side.

"I-I have the right to wear whatever I w-want, be they boy or girl clothes!" Trixie very nearly yelled, her and Tootie's raised voices now drawing a significant amount of attention to the aisle the three were in.

"And yet it's _here_ that Timmy and I find you not only dressed like a boy who can't buy properly sized clothes, but also, your little posse is conspicuously absent! Seems to me you've got a side of yourself you don't want them to see…!" The raven-haired girl's grin visibly widened as she saw Trixie subtly tense up at her comment. "That _is_ it, isn't it? You're afraid of what all of them'll think of you if they find out you like something 'nerdy', right?"

"Oh boy..." Timmy muttered to himself, remembering yet again that his best friend really was just a little _too_ perceptive at times. _"Those glasses_ have _to be magic..."_

"T-That's got nothing to do with it! I just don't want them to think I'm weird for dressing up like a boy so I can buy comic books!" Trixie yelled defensively, her voice silencing nearly everyone else in the store, the dozen or so occupants turning their full attention to the aisle where she, Timmy, and Tootie stood.

"Then don't dress up like a boy…?" The raven-haired girl offered, clasping her hands together behind her head. "You kinda lost me with whatever logic you're trying to use here..."

"G-Girls aren't supposed to read comics! It's a boy thing, like… Like catching frogs! Or… Or going to the arcade!" The teen continued, trying to justify her actions, despite enjoying the very activities she'd just mentioned.

"Well then I must be the exception to the rule, seeing as how I'm one, a girl. And two, I like doing all of the things you just mentioned." Tootie crossed her arms, mirroring Trixie's stance. "...Either that, or I'm actually a boy, but last I checked, there's evidence to the contrary." She finished with an indifferent shrug, her lips forming a satisfied smirk.

"Y-You… That's not-! I m-meant popular girls; like me! Th-There's a certain standard that I'm expected to uphold, both by society, and by my par-Rrgh! I-I don't have to explain myself to _you_ , or anyone! Security!" Trixie yelled, prompting an unusually large and burly man in a black suit and dark shades to step out of the line in front of the counter and make his way over to the aisle the three were in. He silently drew up behind Timmy and Tootie, his frame towering over them by several feet as he looked down at his employer and cracked his knuckles. "Would you kindly remove this girl from the premises?" She gestured at Tootie. "She's a bit too _touchy_ for my liking."

"H-Hey!" Tootie spun around, taking a couple steps back as the gargantuan security guard reached for her. "I've got as much right to shop here as anyone else! You can't just have this guy manhandle people you don't like!" The bespectacled girl gritted her teeth, scowling at Trixie.

"You'd be surprised what you can do when your dad funds half of the businesses in the city." The popular girl remarked confidently, giving her bodyguard a subtle nod.

All while this was taking place, Timmy had remained, for the most part, silent. He knew that, considering Tootie liked him, and he liked Trixie; the three of them meeting somewhere outside of school would almost certainly lead to a fight between the two girls, but he'd hoped it'd be a more verbal confrontation, rather than physical. He'd also hoped to stay out of it, but with Trixie's bodyguard drawing closer and closer to his best friend, that familiar feeling of protectiveness kicked in, and he soon found himself standing between Tootie and the giant, who was likely only rivaled in size by Jorgen himself. "That's okay! We-Um… We were… Just leaving, right Tootie?" His voice cracked again, remembering the black-suited security guard as the same one who'd on many occasions tossed him clear _across_ the school's cafeteria. He'd never been grievously injured by any of these impromptu flights, but they had left him sore quite a few times, and he wasn't about to stand by and let this ogre of a man lay a hand on Tootie. _"Jeez, what am I doing? Francis is one thing, but_ this _guy? He's so jacked, I don't think he's got a neck!"_ "Wha-Ah?!" Before he could utter another word, the brunet felt warm, slender fingers grip those of his left hand, and he soon found himself being pulled back down the aisle, towards the entrance of the store.

Trixie; meanwhile, watched as the girl Timmy referred to as 'Tootie' dragged him away, her previous smirk having faded into what appeared to be an annoyed frown. "Hmph, the nerve of that girl… And Tommy's _friends_ with her?" She turned around, now facing the counter and the line of people still waiting. "And I'd advise everyone here to forget anything they heard within the last five minutes, else you'll have to deal with some… Unpleasant consequences." She jabbed a thumb at her bodyguard, causing the occupants of the store to all simultaneously break eye contact with her, many of them looking in completely random directions, so long as they weren't looking at her. "Good." She smirked, then at last returned to her new comic.

 _Out in the mall thoroughfare…_

"Ah-Hey, Tootie? Where-Ngh… Where are we going?" Timmy followed his friend as she continued to pull him along, her silence and the way she led him through the mall making him feel like a little kid who was about to get a scolding from his mother… Though all things considered, he _was_ still technically a kid… And not a particularly tall one, either.

Finally, the raven-haired girl came to a stop at one of the many rest areas around the mall, this one quiet and unoccupied. She led her crush over to a small, two-person sofa and plopped down on it, bidding for Timmy to do the same.

"Oof!" The buck-toothed boy set his bag down plopped onto the couch in much the same way his friend had, causing the leather cushion to release a hissing gust of air under his weight. "Phew..." He tilted his head back, allowing it to rest against the back of the couch as he let out a sigh, feeling relieved that the confrontation with Trixie's bodyguard had ended without violence.

"...I'd just like to point out: _that's_ the girl you've got a crush on. She's a spoiled princess who thinks she's above everyone, she _apparently_ thinks she needs to act prim and proper like a _real_ lady, _except_ for when she's pretending to be a boy, and since that _ogre's_ always with her, she can just 'remove' anyone who disagrees with her, or she doesn't like!" Tootie narrowed her eyes at her crush, causing him to avert his own from her gaze.

"I-I know she… _Seemed_ pretty bad just now, but… But I mean, she _does_ have her moments… Occasionally." The brunet attempted to defend his crush, despite her actions today _heavily_ working against her. He knew Trixie didn't necessarily _like_ fitting into the stereotype of being a haughty, rich, girly-girl; that day he'd spent with her as 'Timantha' had proven that, but evidently she felt like she had certain expectations to live up to, likely pushed on her by her parents… Or so he assumed, anyway. "Hah… Y'know, you didn't really help matters… Boob-poker." Timmy finished with a grin, a playful glint in his eyes.

"Ugh… Don't even _start_. Far as nicknames go, that was about as imaginative as a rock… And not a regular rock, either; one of those dumb rocks." Tootie snickered to herself.

"Yep, I can see it on one of those old-timey wanted posters now: 'Tootie Boob-Poker Valentine', wanted dead or alive for serial boob-touchery and insulting our great Queen Trixie Tang. Reward set at one seat at the popular table during lunch." He spoke in a loud, almost boisterous tone, doing his best to sound like he was a town crier from the Old West.

"Heehee!" The bespectacled girl giggled in amusement, giving Timmy's shoulder a light shove. "Having second thoughts about sticking around Camp Trixie?"

"...I'm out here with you, instead of in there with her, aren't I?" Timmy turned his head to face Tootie again, briefly nodding in the direction of the comic store.

"Yeah, you are, but..." It was Tootie's turn to break eye contact, her gaze dropping down to look toward the floor. "Because you feel _obligated_ to, since we're still technically on our not-date, or… Because you want to?" She glanced up at him, looking almost shy as she peeked over the frame of her glasses.

The brunet remained silent for a moment, taking the time to think Tootie's question over before he answered. "How about… Because we're friends? ...And 'cause I want to." He finished by scooting over a few inches, then gently leaned his shoulder into hers, their closeness just barely causing his left hand's pinky finger to touch the one on Tootie's right.

"Hehehe… That's a good answer..." Tootie's gaze returned to the floor, barely hiding the smile spreading across her face. It wasn't a hug or a kiss, or even something as simple as her and Timmy holding hands, but then, it didn't need to be; this little moment was important all the same, because it was _real_. For once today, neither of them had to pretend or play up that they were together, they could just sit back, relax, and enjoy each other's company…

"Heh… Boob-Poker..."

"Argh! Would you stop?! We were having a moment!" Tootie shouted, the angry tone in her voice offset by the amused grin on her face as she leaned away, then gave Timmy's shoulder a much rougher shove, the force causing him to tip over onto his side.

"Agh… Someone help… I'm being abused by my not-girlfriend..." The brunet remarked in a weak tone, wincing as he rubbed his shoulder.

" _And this is the person_ I _have a crush on..."_ Tootie mentally deadpanned as she stood up, bowing her head slightly and pinching the bridge of her nose. "Are you done?" She glanced at Timmy out of the corner of her eye.

"Pretty much, yeah." He spoke rather simply, sitting up straight once more and dropping the act. "Where should we go next?"

"Mmph… Well, already got my clothes shopping done, and since You-Know-Who is at the comics store, _that_ option's off the table… Guess we could just walk around the mall until Vicky shoots us a text?" The bespectacled girl offered with a shrug, watching as her crush rose to his feet and briefly stretched.

"Eh, don't worry about the comic; worst case scenario, I'll just get a copy or two off-"

"The 'internet', right?" Tootie interjected, by now having heard Timmy's go-to method for getting just about anything he wanted a million times over. "Vicky's right, you _are_ easy to read..."

"Nuh-Uh!" The brunet shot back defensively. "I'm just… I can… Uh… Let down my guard around you two, that's all! I'm an open book!"

"So you're easy to read." Tootie repeated herself, rolling her eyes as the boy she crushed on unwittingly reinforced her statement.

"W-Well… Is that so bad?" Timmy blushed slightly, not noticing the tall figure stalking towards them from the other side of the couch.

 _Crick-Crack!_

The figure came to a halt just behind the couch, cracking its large, gray knuckles to get the attention of the two preteens. "No, I'd say it's good. Means I have an easier time getting the drop on you and your girlfriend, Turner."

At once, the heads of both Timmy and Tootie snapped to look at the older teen standing behind the rest area's couch, prompting the two of them to grab their bags as Tootie hopped off the couch and took a few steps back, putting herself just to Timmy's right. " _A-Again_?! Don't you have anything better to do, Francis?!" The raven-haired girl exclaimed in shock and annoyance, finding herself wondering just _how_ someone so big could get the jump on both her _and_ Timmy.

"Actually, I just finished shopping, so I've got more than enough time to fit a beating for each of you into my schedule." The gray teen spoke in his usual deep, almost gravelly tone as he effortlessly shoved the couch out of his way with one hand. "Of course, if you're interested, I could also offer you and Turner the two-for-one deal?"

" _Shoot! What is_ with _this day?! Should've known we hadn't seen the last of him..."_ Tootie thought to herself, putting her feet apart a little as she slowly took on a more defensive stance. _"Wish I knew what Timmy was thinking..."_ She glanced over at the brunet, who slowly inched himself toward her, just barely putting himself between Francis and her. _"We could_ probably _outrun him like before..."_ She glanced behind her crush at the quickest escape route: around the corner of one of the mall's many large, island-like planters, and from there, a straight shot down the main thoroughfare of the mall. With how many people there were, she was confident they could lose Francis in the crowd, and then duck into a store until they heard from Vicky.

Alternatively, her older sister _had_ made it a point to teach her a bit about self-defense after their last encounter with the gray teen, but she honestly didn't know how much good it would do against him; after all, he towered over _Timmy_ , and Timmy had an inch or two on _her_!

"So, what's it gonna be, Turner? Your girlfriend's sister isn't here to bail you out this time, and the two of you conveniently came to the part of the mall that the security guards rarely patrol! No one's interrupting us this time…" Again, Francis cracked his knuckles threateningly as he took another step forward.

"Er… T-Tootie? Maybe… Why don't you take the bags, and I'll… Distract him, somehow. You slip away and text Vicky to come here as fast as she can..." Timmy muttered under his breath, shooting his friend a sidelong glance as he motioned to hand off the bag he was carrying.

"No way!" The girl hissed out in a whispering tone, scowling at the thought of leaving her crush to deal with Francis by himself. "I'm not gonna just leave you here to get wailed on while I run away!"

The bully took another step closer, his two targets' conversation now well within earshot.

"Well, have you got any better ideas?!" Timmy questioned worriedly, putting his right arm out in front of Tootie protectively as he faced the fast-approaching gray teen.

"...Actually, yes!" The raven-haired girl perked up as she watched Francis' gaze focus on Timmy, and took advantage of the momentary lack of focus on her. Grabbing the brunet's arm, she shoved it down and out of her way, then dropped down onto one knee, at the same forming a fist with her right hand and cocking it back, before throwing said fist forward, and directly into Francis' crotch as he closed in on them.

Needless to say, this brought the older teen to a sudden, quiet halt, his eyes widening to the point that they looked as though they might pop out of his head. A low, barely audible squeak escaped him as Tootie withdrew her fist and Francis clutched the area between his legs with both hands, then dropped to his knees.

"Wha- T-Tootie…!" Timmy gaped in surprise as Tootie rose to her feet once more, watching as she briefly shook her hand in discomfort. His gaze soon turned to Francis, prompting him to wince in genuine sympathy as the teen dropped onto his hands and knees, each breath he took joined with a groan of pain. "O-Okay, works for me!" He nodded rapidly, grabbing the girl's left hand(itself still holding the bag containing her purchases) and giving her a light tug, bidding that the two of them escape while they had the chance.

"G-Get back here!" A high-pitched voice rang out, calling after them as Timmy and Tootie quickly jogged away, the girl still lightly shaking her right hand as she kept pace with the brunet.

"Yeesh, now I know how you felt when you kicked his shin a couple years ago..." The raven-haired girl mused as she looked over her shoulder, the victim of her impromptu assault slowly pushing himself to his feet, though he did so with no small amount of difficulty.

Timmy, meanwhile; remained silent, his focus diverted exclusively to weaving his way through the mall's many shoppers and making sure Tootie's hand was tightly gripped in his. Even with how painful that punch had looked, he had a feeling it wouldn't keep someone as persistent as Francis down for long.

"Oh-Hey! Timmy, let's duck in here!" Tootie gave her crush's hand a slight pull as they passed in front of the entrance of yet another of the mall's clothing stores, bringing him to a skidding halt as he allowed her to take the lead. "If we keep running we're bound to get tired eventually, so why not… Aha!" The girl exclaimed after passing several shelves full of clothes, and made a beeline for a large, round clothing rack that appeared to exclusively hold long, thick coats. "C'mon!" She enthusiastically slipped in between two coats and disappeared out of sight, her fingers still tightly wrapped around Timmy's hand, and thus causing a little more than half of his forearm to be pulled in as well.

"Uh… In there…?" Timmy asked, his lips forming a confused frown as Tootie failed to answer. "Tootie?" He leaned forward, poking his head in between a pair of large, dark-colored trench coats, only to suddenly(and somewhat forcefully) be pulled into the center of the clothing rack and near-total darkness, save for the scant light filtering in from above, between the sleeves of the coats.

"Heehee! Neat, huh?" Tootie grinned at him, her face near inches from Timmy's as she squatted with her legs together in the small space, while the force from being yanked into the clothing rack left the brunet on his hands and knees.

"Ngh..." Pushing himself up to sit cross-legged, the buck-toothed boy took the opportunity to catch his breath, the quiet sounds of footsteps and people looking through clothes intermittently rising to his ears. "What store is this, anyway?'

"Some clothing store for business outfits; tuxedos, suits, trench coats… That sort of stuff. My dad's taken me here a couple times when he needed to buy a suit. It's a good place to play hide and seek!" The bespectacled girl let out another giggle, memories of playfully evading her parents rushing to the forefront of her mind.

"Remind me to thank your dad for taking you here and giving you the idea then..." Timmy relaxed, pressing his palms flat against the carpeted floor as he leaned back and propped himself up with his arms. "...Not to mention what you did to Francis, _that_ was awesome!"

"Ehehe… You… You mean that?" Tootie chuckled, her cheeks growing warm as she tapped her index fingers together.

"Yeah, of course! Did you see the look on his face?! No way he expected that from you! I bet he thought he could just push you around because you're a girl, but that punch? He _knows_ you're Vicky's little sister now!" Timmy smiled widely as he finished, a familiar feeling of pride welling up in his chest, much like he'd felt the day he 'rescued' Tootie from Francis. Back then, he'd been proud of her just for being able to keep up with him, since he'd never considered her much of a runner, but today, she'd completely surprised him, not just because she backed him up without a second thought, but she actually _hit_ Francis, likely turning his opinion of her entirely on its head. "I almost couldn't believe it when I saw you do it! That was the _coolest_!" The brunet rocked forward, leaning in close to grab both of his best friend's hands.

"W-Well… I _did_ \- I mean, Vicky's been telling me I s-should at least know how to throw a p-punch, so..." She evasively glanced away, the darkness of the clothing rack they were hiding in concealing the bright pink blush on her cheeks. Despite how confident she felt acting flirty and affectionate toward Timmy, when the tables were turned, she found herself absolutely out of her element.

"Heh! No worries there, that's for sure!" Sooner than Tootie would've liked, Timmy pulled away, seating himself cross-legged once more. "Guess all that leaves is to wait for-"

 _Bzzz!_

"Huh, speak of the devil?" The brunet nodded at Tootie upon hearing her phone vibrate.

"Let me see..." The raven-haired girl produced her phone, the screen illuminating her face as she turned it on. "Yep, Vicky… 'Food Court, five minutes'."

While Tootie checked her phone, Timmy stuck his head out from between a pair of coats and looked around, then pulled himself back in to face her. "Coast's clear, shall we?"

"Let's!" Tootie responded enthusiastically, clambering over the metal frame of the rack and following after her crush as he crawled out on his hands and knees, rose to his feet, and spun around, offering her his hand.

"Got everything?" Timmy asked, pulling her up and to her feet, then gave the shopping bag in his off-hand a quick shake for emphasis.

"Pfft! Like I'd leave any of these outfits behind after the way _you_ reacted to them?" She scoffed at her crush, raising her own bag up in front of her and eliciting a slight rosy tint in the brunet's cheeks.

"W-Whatever! Can we go?" The buck-toothed boy replied defensively, before making his way out of the store with Tootie, at which point the two of them adopted a brisk pace as they headed back toward the food court.

 _A few minutes later…_

"Hah… That took longer than I thought it would..." Vicky mused aloud to herself, her arms crossed as she surveyed the mall's food court, a shopping bag loosely gripped in her left hand. "Hope Toots managed to behave herself around the Twerp..."

"Vicky! Over here!" A high-pitched voice that was unmistakably Tootie's rang out through the mall, prompting the eighteen year old to turn around and face where it had come from. Upon noticing her younger sister and Timmy, she offered them a nonchalant, almost indifferent wave.

"Finally. Can't wait to get out of-" The redhead trailed off as she watched them draw closer, her attention drawn instead to a gray-colored figure keeping pace roughly a hundred feet behind them. It didn't take more than a second for Vicky to recognize the figure as Francis, yet as soon as she did, the teen pulled a complete one-eighty and began walking in the opposite direction, _away_ from the older teen and her two charges. "Mm. Probably the smartest decision you've made all day..." She remarked venomously, earning her a pair of bemused looks from Timmy and Tootie as they came to a stop in front of her.

"Er… Everything okay, Sis?" The raven-haired girl quirked an eyebrow up at her older sister.

"Hm? Yeah, just… Thinking out loud." Vicky brushed the question off, her gaze dropping to the two preteens. "Anyway, you two manage to stay out of trouble?"

"Mm-hm!" "Of course!" Timmy nodded, while Tootie leaned a bit closer to him, her arm snaking around his affectionately.

To Vicky's surprise, the brunet didn't try to wriggle out of her grasp, but merely blushed and looked away, the tiniest hint of a grin forming on his lips. " _Right_." She rolled her eyes, knowing without a doubt that they were hiding something. "Ah… I'm sure I'll hear about _something_ happening, eventually..." The older girl spun around on her heel and made for the mall's entrance, prompting Tootie to release Timmy as they both hurried to catch up with her.

"Nothing happened, honest! Timmy and I just went shopping. It was fun, right Timmy?" The bespectacled girl shot her crush a glance, silently telling him to play along.

"It was definitely... Interesting..." The brunet self-consciously rubbed the back of his head.

"Yeah, I'll bet..." Vicky shook her head, her lips curling up into a smirk.

"Hm? Hey, Vicky… What's your secret?" Timmy asked bemusedly, eliciting an equally bemused stare from his babysitter.

"My secret? Secret to what?"

"Well, your name _is_ Victoria, isn't it?" He pointed at the bright pink shopping bag the redhead carried, which bore her name in large, black, stylized letters, along with the word 'Secret'. "And the bag says you've got a secret…?"

Upon realizing what Timmy was referring to, the eighteen year old's cheeks took on a bright shade of pink that nearly matched the color of the bag she carried, at which point she quickly transferred it to her other hand. "Y-You'll find out when you're older, T-Twerp. So _can it_."

"Okay...?" The twelve year old frowned in confusion, oblivious to Tootie as she too rolled her eyes and slowly shook her head back and forth.


End file.
